unspoken

Chapter 3: One Month Later

The dinner was Ryan’s idea.

A “thank you” for stepping into our roles, he’d said. A planning session disguised as a celebration.

Gigi and I drove together, music low, windows cracked just enough to let the early evening breeze drift in. She talked excitedly about floral palettes and handwritten vows, about how surreal it still felt to say fiancé.

I smiled and listened.

But my mind wandered to the other car.

To Ethan.

The restaurant was right on the water — soft golden lights strung along the patio, candles flickering on every table. Boats drifted lazily in the distance, their reflections trembling in the darkening waves. It felt intimate. Romantic.

Dangerously romantic.

Ryan pulled out Gigi’s chair. Ethan pulled out mine.

“Thank you,” I said softly.

He just nodded once, polite as ever.

And somehow that made it worse.

We sat side by side. Not touching.

But close enough that I was hyperaware of everything — the warmth of his arm near mine, the faint scent of his cologne, the way his knee brushed mine once beneath the table when he shifted.

“Sorry,” he murmured quietly.

“It’s okay.”

It was not okay.

Ryan lifted his glass. “We really couldn’t do this without you two.”

Gigi reached for my hand. “You’ve both been part of our lives forever. It only makes sense.”

Ethan smiled at his brother. “Just tell me what to carry and where to stand.”

“More than that,” Ryan laughed. “You’re in charge of the bachelor party. And keeping me calm.”

“And you,” Gigi said, pointing at me, “are keeping me sane. Dress fittings. Final details. All of it.”

I nodded. “I’ve got you.”

Under the table, Ethan’s fingers tapped lightly against his glass. Not nervous. Thinking.

Dinner flowed easily after that. We talked about venues for the rehearsal dinner, music choices, whether handwritten vows were too emotional.

“I’ll cry,” Ryan admitted.

“You cried during a dog food commercial last week,” Ethan said dryly.

Gigi laughed. “See? This is why we need both of you.”

Ryan smirked. “Speaking of crying… Ethan, you doing okay? Heard about the breakup?”

Ethan’s fingers paused mid-tap. He didn’t look uncomfortable, just calm. “Yeah. Becky and I… it wasn’t working. We decided to call it off.”

“Sad, man,” Ryan said casually, as if it were just another to-do item. “But better now than later. Can’t imagine wedding planning with that drama hanging over your head.”

Ethan gave a small shrug. “Exactly. Better to be clear.”

I felt a pang in my chest at how nonchalantly he handled it. And then… the way his eyes lingered on me a moment longer than necessary when Gigi’s attention drifted elsewhere.

At one point, Gigi excused herself to the restroom. I followed automatically.

Inside the softly lit bathroom, she stared at her reflection for a moment before smiling at me.

“How does it feel?” I asked.

“Surreal,” she whispered. “The wedding’s eight months away, but it feels like it’s already flying.”

“That’s why you wanted help?”

She nodded. “That — and because I trust you. Both of you.”

There was something deliberate in the way she said it.

“It’s small,” she continued. “Intimate. I don’t want stress. I just want it to feel… right.”

“It will,” I promised.

And I meant it.

When we returned to the table, Ethan’s eyes lifted immediately.

He didn’t look at Gigi.

He looked at me.

Not in a casual way. Not polite. But… carefully. As if he were taking stock.

The conversation shifted to honeymoon plans, travel points, and whether Ryan could survive a week without checking his email.

“You’ll be fine,” I teased him.

“Easy for you to say.”

Ethan leaned back slightly. “If he spirals, I’ll confiscate his phone.”

“Best Man duties already?” I asked.

He glanced at me. “I take my responsibilities seriously.”

The way he said it felt layered. Charged. A flicker of… something between us that hadn’t been there at dinner before.

And then, under the table, his knee brushed mine again — deliberate this time, a subtle pressure that lingered for just a heartbeat. My stomach clenched. I didn’t move away. Neither did he. We stayed that way for a second, side by side, words left unspoken, tension humming in the quiet.

By the time dessert came, the sky was dark and the water nearly black. The night had grown cooler.

And that’s when Ryan frowned at his phone.

“I completely forgot,” he muttered. “My mom needs help moving something tonight. Dad’s back is acting up.”

Gigi blinked. “Now?”

“Yeah. I promised.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said immediately.

“I can drop her off,” Ethan offered calmly, nodding.

And when he said it, the way he looked at me — steady, attentive — made my chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with wedding planning.